socalgal3

Yay Regina! Quitting smoking is HUGE! I know from personal experience how tough it is to quit and I am so proud of you. The good thing about the weight loss is, you know exactly what you aren't doing. Just start tackling those things on your list one at a time. Get all your water in tomorrow or take a vitamin or something and get back in the swing of it. It is hard to remember everything we need to do every day! Melissa- 2 miles running is AWESOME!! My cousin and I are actually planning to do a run in June and my first day is Wednesday to start training. I told her I would decide by the end of the month if I am actually going to go through with the run! Barb-I'm happy you are doing well on solids. Be careful with those fills-don't be too aggressive! But hopefully having those polyps removed will help you tolerate more fill. You got 50 pounds off, I know you can get 50 more!! A sort of NSV today-I gave blood! The last few times I've tried, my iron was low. I've been taking liquid iron, but it wasn't helping, so I changed brands and I was fine today. I'm in the 5 gallon club at my local blood bank and I want to get to 10!

Jessie-It's good to hear from you, but unfortunate for the circumstances! I hope the barium swallow shows that your slip doesn't require surgery, but merely an unfill. I went through the same thing and had to have revision surgery. My thoughts are with you.

Thank you everyone for your congratulations. I'm feeling better about being at goal. It's still strange to grab a Medium off the rack at stores and it actually fits. My hands still go automatically to the XLs and when I go to the fitting room, I'm like, oh! I'm not that big! Glad you are doing well and down 3 pounds Barb! Keep that momentum going! Hey-are we doing a 2 year bandiversary gathering? I know it is 6 months away, but last year, we planned early. We could go back to Vegas and see Bette and have more join us-or go to Costa Rica for brachiopalsties-HA! Just putting feelers out-let me know if anyone is interested!

I can't think of the brand name, but I know there are some cough syrups made for diabetics that have no sugar and therefore are lower calorie. Just search the shelves or ask your pharmacist.

Yay Edie! I'm with ya! You, me and Valerie Bertinelli!

This thread isn't too active, but I wanted to post that I made my personal goal of 150 yesterday. I'm sure I was over 250 at points, but I remember when I started my pre-op diet, I was 245. I lost 8 pounds prior to surgery as I was 237 on surgery day. I am 5'6" and now a size 10. Best of luck to all of you approaching your goals.

Well, it's official. I am at goal. I really thought I would be more excited, but I'm not. Once again reiterating that weight loss doesn't make all your problems go away. I hope everyone is doing well. I'll update my ticker when I get home from work later.

Best of luck to you Julie. I'm sure you can make goal in 2008!

YEAH!! Congrats!

This is why I always leave the country at Christmas! Unfortunately this year, due to having to finance my slip repair and a car accident in April, I can't travel...WHAAA! Now, I am having brunch with my mom because I declined the invitation to my sister's. She hasn't talked to me since May(sister). Let's just say, I understand the shaking/crying/calling the sister episodes because I've been there. I don't envy you and I hope you find a way to enjoy the holiday despite the stress.

Sometimes it is confusing on how to find threads on this site when you are new. But there are several that say "Would you do it again?", etc. Some are under "Life At or Near Goal" and such. With most everything, there are pros and cons. There are risks such as slippage, erosion, slow loss, etc. But there are several, myself including, who are thrilled with what the band has allowed them to accomplish. I didn't have it easy as I experienced a slip that had to be repaired surgically. There were many days of heartburn and liquid diets, gas pains and plateaus, but I couldn't be happier overall. I was self-pay in Mexico, but I know it was the best decision for me. It is NOT a magic bullet and please be prepared to modify your eating, exercise and deal with some emotional issues, but it certainly can be successful if you put in the effort.

Giving up soda was one of the easiest changes for me to make after banding. I thought it would be hard, but I don't even think about it now. I drink water, iced tea and Crystal Light. I've had maybe two beers since banding and drank them slowly, but I burped alot!! The gas does cause me pain, but I have seen several people post here about how they still drink soda and have no issue with it. It may depend on your level of restriction. I agree that it isn't necessarily a weight loss issue(unless you are drinking regular soda-which is liquid sugar!), it is a gas issue and a health issue.

I'm hit or miss with salad. Somedays they go down, other days they don't. I've had 2 really bad PBs on salad that I recall, so I just generally avoid them if possible. It's actually nice, because I spent so many years dieting and only eating salad. I can get my veggies in so many other ways that don't cause pain, so why bother?!

Did they take your fill out and put it back in when you had it done? Did they use fluoro? I'm just wondering if you may have a leak or lost some fill. I've heard some people have had to have the thicker solution for their bands called Omnipaque. I also agree with others that you need to find some exercise you enjoy. Take the dog for a walk, find a fun yoga video or get a friend to walk/go to the gym with you. Try to increase movement in everything you do-park farther away from the store and walk, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. Also, make sure most of your calories come from protein. You may be making your WW points, but if that is mostly carbs, you may feel hungry shortly thereafter. Lastly, take measurements! Sometimes you lose inches when the scale doesn't show progress. Don't give up yet and don't compare yourself to others! Everyone has a different body and it's unfair to yourself to compare. Best of luck!

I am in Southern California and I have Kaiser. I also went to Mexico for my surgery. I called Kaiser about follow-up care and they aren't trained or eqipped to do fills at this time, but I have heard they are starting to do bands in Northern Calif. I was able to have blood work, etc. done for follow-up care only. Best of luck!

I tried Liquid Centrum and it is foul. I use Liquid Health as I have posted many times on LBT. I am actually going to try another liquid brand that I saw at the health food store that has higher dosages when I run out of LH. I also take their liquid calcium and Kirkman's liquid iron. Good luck!

The last few days, I have been "good"(trying to reach goal by 2008!), so I had- breakfast-Protein bar around 10am(I can't eat much in the am) lunch-soup dinner-grilled halibut, small baked potato breakfast-coffee, Protein Bar lunch-Boston Market turkey breast, creamed spinach(didn't finish it) dinner-the rest of my lunch(no cornbread!) It varies day to day, but I always take my liquid Vitamins, Calcium and Iron as well.

A lot of us had those feelings, but I would recommend resisting them. Treat yourself to the things you enjoy in small quantities. The sooner you start learning the new way of doing things, the easier it will be down the road. Best of health!

The doc called and wants a stool sample now! He is concerned about my iron level and wants me to take an iron supplement. I was already taking one, so I guess I need to increase the dosage! I think I want to get to 150 just to say I got there and then if I gain 5 pounds back, I can feel ok that it is what the doctor recommended! I was 154 this morning, so 4 pounds by New Years!! I can do it! Happy Tuesday everyone. Pinky- I did try St. John's Wort several years ago with not much result. I may try again if I don't snap out of my funk soon. I haven't been exercising as much because I was sick(still am) and I'm so busy with 2 jobs. I do burn alot of calories in my 2nd job being on my feet the whole time and often lugging big items. I was going to go for a walk at the lake after work yesterday, but it was getting dark after I got off work and finished all my errands. I'll try to ride my stationery bike tonight-thanks for the reminder. Being accountable here is something that kept me on track in the past. I also haven't been listening to my hypnosis CDs, so maybe I'll do that tonight. It's so hard to remember to do all the things that work all the time. My cold is officially in my chest now and since I have asthma, I am a coughing fool! I hope it doesn't affect my band. I do feel a bit tight. I think it is just the congestion and some irritation from coughing so much.

It depends on how often you get stuck and what you are getting stuck on. If you are chewing thoroughly and eating slowly and getting stuck, you may need a slight unfill. If you are eating too fast or getting stuck on typical band-trouble foods like bread, then you may just need to avoid that food, chew better or slow down. Good luck!

I'm staying on plan today because...........I am 4 pounds from my GOAL! I want to be at goal in 2008!!

Well, you yourself said you couldn't eat. So, sticking to liquids for at least 24-48 hours would help reduce any swelling from Pbs/vomiting. I'm surprised that your doctor didn't recommend this. Did you tell him you were unable to eat? Of course, I am not a doctor and you should follow his instructions over a stranger on a message board, but liquids for a few days can't hurt, so it's worth a try. Even if the slip isn't that bad, it gives your stoma a rest.

Hi all! I didn't go in for my blood work until Friday for various reasons like work schedule, needing to fast for 12 hours, having a cold and Aunt Flo!! Anyway, I got my results and everything was good for the most part. My thyroid level was normal, good cholesterol, normal liver function, etc. My iron was low, but like I said Aunt Flo was in town and I had to fast over 12 hours for the test. My platelets were low too. There were some other tests that had initials that I didn't know, so I'll just wait to see if the doctor calls. He said if I didn't hear from him, I was fine, but that he would call if there was a concern. I am taking my daily multi-vitamin and calcium and liquid iron, but I found a new brand of vitamins that has higher doses than my current brand, so I may switch once I run out of this one. I have been tired, but I was attributing that to working 2 jobs and my SAD(seasonal affective disorder). I was on anti-depressants for years and took myself off of them when I had lap-band done. I am too stubborn to acknowledge that weight wasn't my only reason for depression, that I actually have brain issues! I refuse to go back on the meds unless my depression become debilitating again! EVERYONE- give me your advice about my goal weight! I am 5'6" and 155. My doctor says I shouldn't lose anymore weight. But like I said, I'm stubborn and I want to reach my goal of 150. Do you think I should try for 150 or less or stay where I am?

An unfill doesn't always resolve a slip. I had the same situation and my band had slipped far enough where the unfill didn't help. I think my stitches had busted as well. I had to have a 2nd surgery to repair it and they put in extra stitches, so that it hopefully wouldn't happen again. At this point, if I were you, I wouldn't even try to eat solid food. I remember when it happened to me I was on liquids for over 3 weeks. I was very miserable with heartburn and back pain. If the unfill and liquids are unsuccessful, you may need another surgery. But, in my case, after the new surgery, I had great results. I hope things all resolve themselves soon in your case.

Did they explain how your band was "too tight" for "too long"? You have only been banded for 3 months. Did you have a fill already? If so, how much of a fill was it? I am very sorry for your trouble and I hope all is resolved soon. The feeding tube and being off work for 6 months does sound a bit extreme, but I suppose it is best to err on the side of caution. Best of health to you.